Gisborne lies at the confluence of three rivers: Turanganui, Taruheru and Waimata.
With so many watercourses to cross, Gisborne is also often known as the City of Bridges.
Central business district
The central business district lies west of the area where the three rivers meet.
Not only will you find the bus and train stations, airline offices, banks, post office and many restaurants here, but the Gisborne Museum and Arts Centre can be found on Stout St by the eastern bank of the Taruheru River.
Culture and history
A repository of Maori lore, culture and history as well as of the colonial development of the region, the Gisborne Museum provides interesting insights into the life of Gisborne and New Zealand’s East Coast.
Local, national and international art is displayed in the gallery as part of permanent or visiting exhibitions.
Maritime museum
Directly behind the main Gisborne Museum stands the Star of Canada Maritime Museum with displays of Maori canoes and Captain Cook’s Gisborne visit as well as information on, and artefacts from, the Star of Canada which sank off the Gisborne coast in 1912.
Marae and meeting house
In the west, across theTuranganui, are the Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae and Meeting House, one of the largest meeting houses in New Zealand, and the Toko Toru Tapu Maori church nearby.
Next page: Around and Beyond the City
- Photo: Wade Manson, courtesy of Destination Gisborne
